Management

ASTANA (AST) - KAZ

The return of Lance Armstrong will have a major impact on professional cycling in 2009 and his presence in the Astana team is expected to further boost the Kazakhstan team’s profile and ability in stage races.

The Astana team is named after the capital of Kazakhstan and aims to help develop the best Kazakhstan riders. Several leading companies from this central Asian country support the team under the experienced management of Belgium’s Johan Bruyneel and his staff.

Astana finished second in the overall team standings in the 2008 UCI ProTour, just three points behind winner Caisse d’Epargne. Astana did well thanks to consistently strong performances from key riders throughout the season. Germany’s Andreas Klöden was third in the individual standings, while Giro d’Italia and Vuelta España winner Alberto Contador of Spain was 13th and Janez Brajkovič of Slovenia was 19th.

With the Ukraine’s Yaroslav Popovych and Spain’s Haimar Zubeldia also joining the team in 2009, and with experienced American Levi Leipheimer in the line-up as well, Astana potentially has the strength to dominate the overall classification in stage races.

Astana also has the talent to do well in one-day races, especially with Belgian Directeur Sportif Dirk Demol returning to the team in 2009. He won Paris-Roubaix in 1988 and will be looking to guide Lithuania’s Tomas Vaitkus, Switzerland’s Gregory Rast and Chris Horner of the USA to victory in the classics.

“I try to say this without any pretentiousness or sounding overly confident but I don’t know if there’s any team in the history of cycling which has been stronger,” Bruyneel said.